It is to be called “Re Re”. Phase two of the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan – in which public sector job cuts are expected  and will include retraining and retooling workers, the Prime Minister has declared.

But giving only a minor insight into the plan, Mia Mottley told the Sandals Global Sales Conference on Friday that the programme intended to make Government more efficient.

“We have like Sandals, to keep training, and as we confront this reality and make the adjustments, we have determined as I have said, it is not good to go back to where we are, we need to go to where we want to be,” said Mottley.

In a nod to iconic Barbadian superstar Rihanna – RiRi – Mottley said: “In those circumstances we have coined a programme which we feel will help us reach that destination of excellence. And being Bajans we call it the Re Re Programme. You will see why in a few days when we talk further.”

The Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan is to consist of three main phases.

Phase one, currently underway, consists of a number of new tax measures, removal of others and provision for improvement in some of the island’s infrastructure.

Mottley has promised to address the nation at month-end on what phases two and three would contain and when they would begin.

While not disclosing what form the planned Re Re programme would take, Mottley disclosed that “it is about retooling and empowering, it is about retraining and enfranchising”.

“It is about being able to all cause our people to live the best lives that we can,” she added.

Insisting that change was uncomfortable but necessary, Mottley said the process towards recovery was a critical one.

“What helps us manage change is the retooling, is the empowering. What helps us succeed and overcome the changes that we must make is to retrain and is the enfranchising,” she said.

“So when we say that our route to excellence is the Re Re Programme it is because we believe if we do these things, we are going to give you in this organization, a better product to share with the rest of the world, better returns at the corporate level [and] better returns at the individual level,” she said.

The prime minister has already hinted that as part of phases two and three, there will be job cuts and the possible privatization or merger of debt-riddled state agencies.

As part of the recovery plan, Government has also entered into discussions with the International Monetary Fund for a debt restructuring programme.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

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The nation’s producers of eggs and chickens were given a demand by new farm minister Indar Weir for proof the Government’s new tax and tariff measures would trigger steep prices for consumers.

Weir’s “amicable and frank” meeting with the Egg and Poultry Producers Association sought to address complaints that the new rates the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) is to collect at month-end are financially burdensome.

“An issue of water rates was raised and I told them to go and provide the proof,” Weir told Barbados TODAY.

The new Garbage and Sewage Contribution (GSC), which came into force on August 1, is 50 per cent of the water bills of commercial farmers.

Just yesterday, spokesman for the farmers and chief executive officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society James Paul warned that the new levy would make local producers incapable of competing against international producers.

But Minister Weir urged them today to first balance their concerns against all the incentives they are getting from the Government.

“Take into consideration all the inputs coming from the Ministry to the egg and poultry producers in terms of the duty-free vehicles that they get, all the concessions that they get from the Ministry; take those into consideration, do a comparative analysis and let’s see if in truth and in fact there is a real increase in costs, and if so, what is it,” he told Barbados TODAY this afternoon.

The Minister for food security went on to strongly suggest that any incentives given to farmers must be passed onto the consumer.

“At the end of the day my position is that the consumer is supposed to benefit from any incentives that this ministry gives to farmers or any kind. And so that if we are giving away to the farmers incentives, then the consumer must be the beneficiary,” he added.

When final analysis is done, the farmers can therefore determine if in fact, the new rates are burdensome or not, Weir argued.

Asked if the farmers are expected get back to him with the proof, he said they must, “and they must end the conversation too”.

The Minister also told Barbados TODAY that the egg and poultry producers raised a number of other concerns which both sides must now sit down and work through.

Among the issues is the Government’s ongoing importation of chicken wings in a nation considered self-sufficient in egg and poultry production.

Weir gave the assurance that the issue would be addressed urgently.

“I would certainly have the new chairman of the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC) take it as a matter of priority to be looked into and then we will make a decision as to how we are going to go forward,” he said.

The state-owned BADMC retains the sole licence to import wings.

The Barbados Agricultural Society has led a chorus of disapproval, with chief executive James Paul last week urging the Government to increase tariffs on wing imports.

The number of imported chicken wings in supermarkets was having a negative impact on local producers, Paul claimed.

But an evidently upset Minister called on the farmers to stop “running to the Press” first with information that may be unfounded.

“It was a very amicable and frank meeting. They are in a better position to understand where Barbados is going. They are in a better position of trying to present information [to the ministry] before running to the Press and trying to spew things that they may need to have to defend later. So all in all, it was a very cordial, but frank meeting,” Weir told Barbados TODAY.

The farmers and processors, he insisted, now have a better understanding that they were operating under a new administration and that it was no longer business as usual. (EJ)

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The Barbados economy is expected to be the second worst performing in the English speaking Caribbean this year, with only the hurricane ravaged-Dominica performing worse, according to a United Nations (UN) regional commission.

Overall, the local economy will record the fourth worst growth rate in the Caribbean and Latin America, registering stagnant growth, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) said in its latest report.

ECLAC, whose functions include enhancing the region’s social development, predicted zero per cent growth this year, slightly better than the 0.5 per cent decline predicted by the Central Bank of Barbados at the beginning of this month.

Only Venezuela’s whose economy is predicted to register -12 per cent growth, Dominica’s at -6.4 per cent and Argentina’s at -0.3 per cent are forecasted to perform worse than Barbados.

Overall the Caribbean is expected to grow by an estimated 1.7 per cent this year, after witnessing a “standstill” in 2017, the report, released yesterday, said.

The Caribbean and Latin America together should experience a growth rate in the order of 1.5 per cent.

Antigua and Barbuda is expected to record the strongest growth in the English-speaking Caribbean - the fifth highest rate of growth overall – at 4.2 per cent, followed by Grenada at 3.5 per cent and Guyana at three per cent.

According to the ECLAC document the growth in the region was due mainly to “a rebound in domestic demand, private consumption especially, and a slight increase in investment”.

The survey pointed out that the regional growth was taking place in a complex global scenario, characterized by trade disputes between the United States, China and other nations; growing geographical risks; a decline in capital flows toward emerging markets in the last few months; rise in sovereign risk levels; depreciations of local currencies against the US dollar, and slowing global economic expansion.

The report anticipated that total public spending would increase this year as a result of a greater need for reconstruction in the sub-region after several devastating natural disasters, with increases in capital expenditure of 2.8 points of gross domestic product (GDP) in Grenada and 0.8 points in Antigua and Barbuda.

“However, current primary spending should continue its downward trend, owing to fiscal consolidation programmes in Trinidad and Tobago (-1.8 points of GDP), Suriname (-1.8 points), Barbados (-1.7 points) and Antigua and Barbuda (-1 point),” the report said.

While it was not immediately clear if the survey took into consideration Barbados’ suspension of debt payment, it also pointed out that interest payments by Caribbean governments was expected to end this year “at values similar to those of 2017, of 3.2 per cent of GDP”.

“Of the 13 countries with available information, almost half have recorded lower interest payments in 2018, with particularly large declines in Barbados and Jamaica, both of which have public debt servicing costs of over seven per cent of GDP but have continued to cut debt sharply, which will translate into lower interest payments in the coming years,” said the report, which puts Barbados’ public debt at 89.3 per cent for the first quarter of this year.

The 232-page report said fiscal policies in the Caribbean continued to focus on generating primary surpluses to deal with the heavy burden of public debt.

“In this context, the average primary surplus is expected to rise from 1.1 per cent of gross domestic product in 2017 to 1.9 per cent of GDP in 2018, with a decline of similar magnitude in the overall deficit.

“Some countries in the sub region are implementing considerable fiscal adjustment, especially Trinidad and Tobago, which is aiming to reduce its primary deficit from 5.4 per cent of GDP in 2017 to zero per cent in 2018,” the document said.

It said governments’ public debt remained stable at 68.6 per cent of GDP in the Caribbean in the second quarter of this year, similar to 2017 year end levels.

Inflation was about 2.5 percentage points in the non-Spanish speaking Caribbean as at April 2018.

Meanwhile, international reserves in the region continued to grow this year, although at a slower pace than in 2017, the report said, while pointing out that the gross debt issues by Latin American and Caribbean countries in international markets amounted to US$68.719 billion in the first six months of 2017, about seven per cent lower than the prior year.

ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena said Latin America and the Caribbean had made significant efforts to increase investment flows, but was faced with “the challenge of improving sectoral composition to incentivize our economies”.

“Our region continues to growth, although at a slower pace than what was projected several months ago, despite international turbulence. That is positive, but it demands that we redouble our efforts to prompt a reactivation, without resorting to excessing fiscal adjustments. Regional integration can play an important role here and we must aim in that direction,” Bárcena said.

The global economy is expected to grow at a rate of about 3.3 per cent this year. marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

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Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Indar Weir is projecting that Barbados could quadruple the amount of foreign exchange it earns from rum in the next five years,

Weir said during a tour of Foursquare Rum Distillery in St Philip this afternoon, that Government had a plan to increase sugar production here, with an eye on strengthening the $80 million rum industry.

This, he said, included increasing the acreage of cane being planted, while noting that this year, sugar production had already recorded a rise over the last year.

“We took a decision to work with the sugar producers of Barbados to start increasing the production of sugar cane across Barbados on a phased basis, where we have recognized that the yield this year has increased over last year and that as we go on exponentially we will increase over the next three to five years, our sugar output, molasses output and indeed syrup output,” Weir said.

With Foursquare’s Executive Chairman Richard Seale revealing that about 90 per cent of the molasses used in the rum sector was imported, the Minister anticipated that molasses production would also save the country much needed foreign exchange.

“We look to the rum industry with not only a high degree of hope, but a perfect example of what can happen in a country as small as Barbados . . . . I have been told repeatedly across Barbados and indeed sometimes in the press that there is no place for sugar and that there is no place for a sugar industry. Well I am happy to tell you all that Mr Richard Seale has dispelled that myth today, because he himself told me that there is an absolute need to continue with a sugar cane industry, which is what we have been saying all along,” Weir declared.

Seale, whose company’s 2005 blended rum won the best rum in the world this year at the Supreme Champion Spirits Competition in London, had earlier appealed to Weir to keep the sugar cane industry alive.

“We don’t want to go to zero. The more local [molasses] we get, the better it is for the country,” Seale said, adding that Foursquare Rum Distillery produces close to 300,000 cases of rum per year, 70 per cent of which is exported.

To demonstrate his seriousness about addressing the shortage of local molasses, Weir met privately with Seale immediately after the tour to discuss that matter.

However, he declined to give details on the outcome of the meeting when Barbados TODAY contacted him hours later.
(EJ)

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The scariest species of creepy-crawlies in Barbados - centipedes - have apparently invaded part of the Christ Church community of Ealing Park, creating a horror-movie scene for besieged residents.

The pestilence has already forced one occupant to flee her home of ten years she has shared with her son.

The woman, who would only give her name as Eugene, told Barbados TODAY she was desperate for relief, adding that she had reached the point where she has developed anxiety after several attempts to get rid of the insects.“I am not sleeping well. My chest is heavy. I don’t know what else to do,” she complained, moments after returning from a doctor’s visit.

“Two nights ago my son killed two big centipedes outside,” she added as she struggle to compose herself in recounting the ordeal.She has sprayed a variety of insecticides, including gasoline, cleaned surfaces regularly with bleach, even hired a pest control  - cost: $2,000; all that was no match for the relentless march of numbers of centipedes into her home, ‘Eugene’ said.

She first spotted the creatures on the day she went to view the house in 2008 when she decided she wanted to buy it - but thought little of the appearance of the common household pest, notorious for its searingly painful bite.“I thought that was it but from then until now I just seeing constant centipede . . . but they never bite me, thank goodness,” she said, as she pointed to the stain from one of her latest kills on Monday morning on a section of the patio floor.

 Another resident, Elijah Jean-Baptiste, told Barbados TODAY when he returned to the island on Monday from vacation he was greeted by one of the centipedes in his house.

“I have been here for six months now and I have seen probably about six of them. I guess I normally don’t see them as much because I work for the entire day. I was out on vacation and just came back on Monday and before bed I saw one in my room,” he recalled.

Baptiste, who has been bitten by one before, said he normally sees some “big blackish ones” and he would crush them with shoes, then burn them.

“Right now I am so paranoid. I didn’t even sleep properly last night. Every five or ten minutes I would be waking up looking on the floor and put my lights on. I don’t even want to relax on the couch,” he said, adding that he would welcome any help to get rid of the centipedes.

Another resident, who did not want to be identified, told Barbados TODAY while he did not have the centipedes inside his house they were everywhere outside.

“Definitely there is a centipede problem,” he said.“I don’t have centipedes inside of my house but the minute I step out I see them all over the place . . . I take precautions not to have them inside, but I can tell you that as soon as I step out I see them. So I have to be careful where I put my foot because they are running all over,” he said, adding that they were “pretty big”.

Stating that he would see them about three days in any given week, the concerned resident also lamented that he had no idea what else could be done to help rid the community of them.

In what could be described as a scene from a horror movie, ‘Eugene’ explained that it was constant peeping about for her in her own home, jumping on and off the bed at times, and running to action whenever she spotted one.She explained that the centipedes would show up on the ceiling in various parts of the house including her bedroom, the kitchen, bathroom, even coiled around light switches - and just about anywhere outside.

One even found its way inside her dog’s bowl in the garage recently.

Now at wit’s end, with no idea of what else could be done to ease her anxiety and rid her home of the centipedes, ‘Eugene’ said she would be moving out by next month and seeking to sell the property with the hope that the new owners would be able to find some answers.

“I can’t take it no more. My family is coming in from England and they told me, ‘You can’t break your heart over this.’ I don’t get no sleep. The centipedes are invading here now,” she said.

But it was after talking about it with a neighbour about three years ago that Eugene discovered the previous owners of the house fled the same problem, she added.

Fighting back tears, the mother said “it is worse now. I don’t sleep. I don’t sleep”.“I can’t tek it nuh more. I can’t tek it nuh more. They tell me I get anxiety attack. I can’t tek it nuh more,” she cried, as she recalled one of her latest ordeals in which she fell in an attempt to outrun one of the beasts.

Due to her constant fear of them showing up, Eugene would keep lights on throughout the night, leaving a monthly $300-$400 electricity bill.

It is believed that nearby farm land and an open lot were the breeding grounds for the centipedes. (MM)

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Alternative sentencing could stem the high rate of prisoners passing through the criminal justice system’s revolving door in Barbados and the region, a top regional crime-fighter has recommended.

And amid mounting concern over crime, governments have become more preoccupied with getting tough on crime rather than on rehabilitation, contends Executive Director of the Regional Security System (RSS) Captain Errington Shurland.

“We are all too well aware that policy makers who face increasing crime levels often focus on being tough on crime.  In doing so they often forget about the importance of rehabilitation and alternative sanction,” Captain Shurland said.

There are examples of criminal justice agencies exploring the use of electronic monitors, curfews, drug court and treatment courts for non-violent offenders, which Shurland suggested should be developed further as alternatives to incarceration.

The RSS official was delivering opening remarks this morning at Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds, where the European Union was handing over machines to aid in developing inmates’ skills.

Shurland noted that even though some law enforcement agencies have demonstrated a willingness to explore these measures, policymakers have not fully evaluated their effectiveness in the light of policy, legal and cultural frameworks.

“My hope is that correctional facilities along with other components of the criminal justice system review these methods within the context of their own Caribbean territory. It is only then we have some knowledge base of the effectiveness of these technologies that have a higher probability of reducing crime and recidivism.”

He added that such initiatives would require financing but lamented that regional governments have been inconsistent in their efforts to rehabilitate prisoners.

In 2016, then Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite revealed that over a quarter of the prison population in Barbados is made up of repeat offenders and up to 40 per cent were prisoners on remand.

“Even in Barbados today as we speak, I believe that we have about 928 or about 930 inmates at [HMP] Dodds at this time, of which about 250 of them are recidivists. And that is an area of some concern to me,” Brathwaite said then.

The Attorney General said his office had spent a considerable amount of time trying to find ways not only to prevent “more young people from coming to us”, but to cut down on the number who reoffend.

One of the areas of concern, Brathwaite stated, was the absence of proper programmes and treatment for those on remand because of the uncertainty surrounding the duration of their stay.

“So it becomes even more difficult to put programmes in place to address these individuals. I think I am right when I say about 35 or 40 per cent of our present prison population are individuals on remand.”

He acknowledged that the correctional facilities in the region did not have all of the resources and professional services required to adequately help prisoners.

But the government’s chief legal adviser in 2016, declared confidence that the government of the day was “doing all of the right things” to help convicts reintegrate into society, including arming them with a variety of skills and recognized certification. (CM)

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A former police prosecutor has taken issue with the manner in which officers conduct investigations and charge individuals for alleged crimes.

Attorney-at-law Neville Reid, a former station sergeant now attached to the law firm of Andrew Pilgrim and Associates. argued that police charged his 23-year-old client, Rashaad Brian Bostic of Cliff Meadows, St John with “no evidence”.

Bostic, a farm assistant, is accused of using an unlicenced firearm on July 16, 2017 and recklessly discharging it in a public place, placing Jermaine Nurse in danger of death or serious bodily harm.

He was not required to plead to the indictable charges when he appeared in the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrate’s Court today before Magistrate Douglas Frederick.

However, Reid argued that his client “had no right being here”.

“There is no complainant, no one came to identify him . . . on an identification parade . . . and no firearm was recovered . . . . This is wrong. The police must stop treating poor people like this. It has to stop,” Reid said despite his client’s automatic 28-day remand at Dodds.

The attorney further charged that only recently police explained when asked about another well publicized case, that they could not investigate a case when there was no complainant – a clear reference to Commission of Police Tyrone Griffith’s explanation for not probing bribery allegations involving former Cabinet Minister Donville Inniss – yet they hauled his client before the court when there was no complainant “because he comes from the wrong section of society”.

Bostic was given a September 21 date to return to court following that submission and some cross talk between the defence attorney, the prosecutor and the magistrate.

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Not only did he refused to put down his cutlass when asked by lawmen to do so but a 21-year-old man was adamant that he was not going to the Psychiatric Hospital despite a plea from his mother.

“Send me to jail, I don’t want to go the Psychiatric Hospital, I want to go jail. I know people up jail, I don’t know nobody at Psychi,” Kamal Kemar Harewood of Forde’s Road, Clapham, Christ Church told Magistrate Douglas Frederick this afternoon.

Harewood made the bold appeal after he pleaded guilty to having the weapon at Rendezvous Hill yesterday, as well as assaulting and resisting Police Constable Rommel Downes and resisting Station Sergeant Paul Vaughn.

In reading the police report prosecutor Sergeant Rudy Pilgrim revealed that lawmen were in the area when they came across Harewood and another man in a heated argument with cutlasses raised.

The two men were ordered to drop their weapons but only the unidentified man complied, while Harewood remained “obstinate and continued to advance on the other man”.

It was only when police drew their service revolvers that Harewood complied and was detained.

“Don’t f****** touch me,” he allegedly told police as they tried to get him under control, resulting in a violent struggle which led to the offences being committed against the police.

Pilgrim also revealed that Harewood, who has a number of pending matters before the court, and the unidentified man are involved in an ongoing dispute and reside in close proximity to each other.

In mitigating on Harewood’s behalf his attorney Safiya Moore admitted that her client did have pending matters before the court but had no previous convictions. She pointed to his early guilty plea and said his anger got the better of him and “it should never have been directed at the police”.

“It was not a case that he went home to get the cutlass, it [the incident] happened on his job site as he sells coconuts,” Moore submitted.

However, Magistrate Douglas Frederick said; “His name is being called all the time. Something is wrong. Police said to stop, drop it and he is still advancing.

“You know how it get to this point  . . . it’s because these cases are taking too long in the system. He has cases from 2013 and nothing has happened to them yet. Let me get some information on him to see how best I can treat him now that I have him here . . . . This is some serious [offences] against the values that we have in Barbados.

“Bad boys get beaten, as you are in defending yourself, but when the police come on the scene respect the police. If he was in [another country] do you think he would be here? He living in the best country in the world.”

Harewood became agitated when his mother took the stand to explain his situation. She revealed that he suffered from mental health issues and not only was he not taking his medicine, but he was also “smoking marijuana”.

She added that he needed “rest” and hinted that the magistrate sends him to the Psychiatric Hospital. However, Harewood was adamant that he was his own man.

“I don’t want to go Psychi, I want jail,” he declared and was remanded to Dodds until September 21.

The post ‘I want jail’ appeared first on Barbados Today.

Magistrate Douglas Frederick today prohibited 27-year-old Tramaine Dario Yarde from venturing to Suttle Street and to be on his best behaviour for the six months.

If the Black Rock Main Road, St Michael resident violates the order he will have to pay the District ‘A’ Magistrate’s Court $1,500 forthwith or spend three months at HMP Dodds.

Yarde returned to court today after spending the past four days on remand after he was unable to get a surety to post his bail on his first appearance.

He pleaded guilty to entering the home of Vincent Davis on August 17 as a trespasser and damaging a television, a stereo and a mirror collectively worth $1,050.

Davis reappeared in court today and declared he “ain’t come to tell no lies”. He disclosed that he and Yarde were in a relationship but it was now over.

“I try to take care of him but this boy smoke cocaine. This is not the first time he mash up things,” Davis declared, to which Yarde responded:
“This man obsess with me, this man does stalk me, this man needs help.”

Davis pointed out that the incident occurred at his home which caused the magistrate to question Yarde about his reason for being in that area when he was the one alleging that Davis was stalking him.

“Looking for money . . . and hanging out with my friends,” was Yarde’s reply, while informing the magistrate about his time on remand.

“It rough in prison, you don’t get much to eat and people does discriminate against you,” he disclosed.

The magistrate admonished Yarde to stay away from the area and ordered Davis to desist from interfering with the accused.

Yarde also has until September 28 to compensate Davis $1,000 for the damaged items, failing which he will spend three months in prison.

The post Love affair turns ugly appeared first on Barbados Today.

The regional hotel resort empire Sandals has given the struggling Barbados economy a resounding vote of confidence, while it expands its footprint in the tourism market.

 In a message delivered by Sandals Resorts International’s Senior Vice President of Sales Gary Sadler, Chairman Gordon “Butch” Stewart said he was pleased with the work the new administration had done so far in three months in office.

[caption id="attachment_277101" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Prime Minister Mia Mottley (centre) makes her way to the Sandals Global Sales Conference with (from left) General Manager of Sandals Barbados Ferry Zievinger, Acting Minister of Tourism Kirk Humphrey and Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Sandals Gary Sadler.[/caption]

 Acknowledging that there was still a lot of work to be done to save the ailing economy, Stewart, through Sadler gave the assurance that Sandals was prepared to work “shoulder to shoulder” with Barbados “to help you achieve a brighter and more prosperous future”.

The Sandals executive was addressing the Sandals Global Sales Conference at the Sandals Royal Barbados property on Friday, where more than 200 of the company’s sales and marketing team from around the world came together to share experiences and brainstorm.

“While Sandals may be just one hotel group, we fully intend to pull our weight to help bring about stability and success we all want to see for Barbados,” he told the audience, which included the guest speaker Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

“We have every cause for optimism, madame Prime Minister, and we look forward to working alongside your Government to achieve positive gains for Barbados,” he said, adding that “it is a very exciting time” and “we believe in the promise of growth that the tourism sector holds”.

The Sandals VP said since the construction of the first Sandals property over three years ago there has been a noticeable increase in tourism business for Barbados especially from the North American market, and he expected that increase to continue as the brand expands further.

Sadler highlighted the ongoing development of the Sandals Royal property, where an additional 50 suites were being built and due to open in November, and the planned construction of the Sandals Beaches property in St Peter.

“It should be noted that we raise all the capital and we carry all the risk for these investments. In other words, we’re putting our own money behind it. I believe that sends a most powerful message, and I can think of no greater way to telegraph to the world’s investing community the confidence we have in Barbados,” he said.

There are currently some 1,200 workers at the two Sandals properties in Christ Church, and officials have promised to increase the number to just under 3,000 when the Beaches property is St Peter is completed.

The expansion of the prominent hotel chain in Barbados “also spells good news for local suppliers and producers” since the hotel had made it a priority to buy local first, Sadler declared.

“That means more opportunities for farmers, taxi drivers, tour operators, artisans, manufacturers and local suppliers,” he added.

Thanking the international hotel chain for its confidence in Barbados despite the economic challenges and for its work in helping the country to have the highest repeat visitor rate, the Prime Minister insisted that the work ahead in turning the economy around would require even stronger partnerships.

“If each of us now, on our part, live up to our end of the bargain to make your experience here, to make your communication of your experience, to make our story inspire you in your own country as to what is possible, if we can do that we will not have enough space like Sandals to accommodate those who want to come,” Mottley told the room of Sandals employees.

Her administration had already determined that if the country was to survive and transform “we have to do things a little differently. We have to all up our game”, she said.

“We have determined therefore that as we seek to transform our country, because we are in a moment of transformation . . . it is not about returning to where we are but it is about becoming the best of who we can possibly become,” she said, adding that her administration had inherited “some very difficult circumstances” with a debt of about $15 billion.

Insisting that Government could not do it alone, Mottley said “what we need is each and everyone who believes in what we are doing, and we believe that Sandals believes in what we are doing”.

Asking the Sandals team members to reflect on whether they wanted to join the journey to economic recovery by choice, Mottley said she was looking forward to the construction of the expected US$450 million Beaches resort over the next two-and-a-half years.

“Our survival and success as a nation depends on these partnerships,” said Mottley.

“I say to Barbadians all the time, many hands will make light work, when many hands make light work then hopefully success will come to us all”. (MM)

The post SANDALS’ ‘VOTE’ appeared first on Barbados Today.

Weather conditions over Barbados today will be partly cloudy to occasionally cloudy with a few scattered showers.

According to the Meteorological Department winds are coming from the east south east at 15 to 30 kilometres per hour.

The seas are slight to moderate, in open water, with swells from 1.0 metres to 1.5 metres.

The post Today’s weather appeared first on Barbados Today.

CMC – Having won two of their first three Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) games on the road, Barbados Tridents’ captain Jason Holder is hoping his side can maintain that momentum as they enter their home phase of the competition.

The Tridents registered wins over the Guyana Amazon Warriors and the Jamaica Tallawahs, with their only loss coming at the hands of the St Lucia Stars.

With the Tridents set to take on the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at Kensington Oval on Saturday, Holder said the team was in an upbeat mood ahead of the clash.

“The win has given us some momentum. We had three away games to start the competition and at the beginning of the tournament, I stressed on us trying to gather some momentum on the road before coming back to Barbados on our home leg. It was a tight game and we didn’t play our best cricket, but we came away with the result and that says a lot about the squad and the depth of the squad and the belief in the squad,” Holder said during a press conference on Friday.

“The mood in the camp is pretty good and we’re hoping we can take that momentum and run with it in Barbados.”

While admitting that the Tridents’ latest win over the Tallawahs – which saw them drop five catches – was not their best effort, Holder said he expected an improved performance against the Patriots.

“I don’t want to make excuses for the players, but the lighting probably wasn’t the best, but it’s no excuse for the catches that we dropped. You know one or two of them were reasonably difficult, but we still expect our players to hold onto the catches. You know it does happen in cricket, everybody sets out to take every catch that comes their way but not every day you take every single catch that comes your way,” he said.

“The guys are comfortable [playing at home], as it isn’t something we haven’t done in the past. Many of the guys have played in front of the home crowd on a number of occasions and the overseas players have done it year in year out for their respective franchises . . . so I think the guys are up for it and looking forward to the challenge.”

Meanwhile, Patriots’ head coach Donovan Miller also said his team was mentally and physically prepared for what he expected to be a tough contest against the Tridents.

“We won a couple games on the road and we’ve been on the road for two weeks We had a really good performance in our last game in St Lucia and we had a smart training session on Thursday and  another one on Friday where  the guys will get what they need for today’s game and they will be quite prepared,” Mitchell explained.

He said while eyebrows had been raised regarding the low scores of opener Evin Lewis, he was not worried and was expecting a big score from him sooner rather than later.

“We are definitely not concerned with Evin’s form. He’s been working really hard in the nets and he’s been training and hitting the ball nicely. The last couple of dismissals he was unlucky and we saw a glimpse of what he can do in St Lucia. He’s very confident and it’s only a matter of time before we see him get a big score,” he said.

Source: CMC

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Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley will address a high level meeting next week as Grenadians prepare to vote in another referendum on whether or not to replace the London-based Privy Council with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

The CCJ Advisory Committee said Mottley, who became Prime Minister of Barbados on May 24 this year, will address the meeting on August 29.

In a brief statement, it said the Prime Minister “will be delivering an address to the audience concerning the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)” and that the theme of the meeting is “Brake the Chains of Colonialism for a United Caribbean”.

The Trinidad based CCJ was established in 2001 to replace the Privy Council, but while many of the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are signatories to the court’s original jurisdiction, only Barbados, Belize, Dominica and Guyana have signed on to the Appellate Jurisdiction of the CCJ, which also functions as an international tribunal interpreting the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the regional integration movement.

Last month, Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell gave the assurance that he would be actively campaigning to ensure that the referendum on November 6 is not a failure.

Mitchell told the General Council of the ruling New National Party (NNP) that “our children and grandchildren deserve to have a Caribbean Court of Justice.

“We have come of age sufficiently. We have to trust our brothers and our leadership to provide justice for us and therefore I will be campaigning this time,” he said, adding, “the last time my hands were tied, this time it will be loose”.

The first referendum in 2016 failed.

The CCJ bill was laid in the Lower House of Parliament on May 15 this year.

Source: CMC

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After a commendable fifth place finish at the Lacanau Pro last week-end, Chelsea Tuach has continued to progress through the rounds at the Pro Anglet with her smart, fluid, powerful surfing, defeating one of the event favorites, former world champion from Peru, Sofia Mulanovich, along the way.

Tuach now finds herself in the quarter-finals and will once again go up against French surfer Cannelle Bulard who narrowly edged her out of a semi-final berth last week.

“I have been enjoying my time competing in the South West of France. The waves have been quite challenging but I am happy with the way that I am surfing, my boards are feeling great and I am looking forward to matching up with Cannelle tomorrow. We had a close battle the last time we met so it should be a great heat!”

Tuach, who is currently ranked 17^th in the world on the World Surf League (WSL) Women’s Qualification Series rankings, is hoping to amass more points to keep progressing up the rankings.

She competes in another major event, the Pantin Classic, in Spain next week. (PR)

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St Kitts and Nevis Patriots defeated the Barbados Tridents by six wickets in the Caribbean Premier League at Kensington Oval here Saturday night.

Scores: 

TRIDENTS: 147 for six off 20 overs (Jason Holder 54, Shai Hope 26; Ben Cutting 2-18, Anton Devcich 2-25)

PATRIOTS: 148 for four off 18.5 overs (Brandon King 60, Devon Thomas 32, Ben Cutting 28; Mohammad Irfan 2-1).

Source: CMC

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If Prime Minister Mia Mottley had her way Barbados’ programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be no longer than nine months.

As she disclosed that the IMF mission would return to the island this week to continue negotiations, Mottley told the Barbados Workers Union 77^th Annual Delegation Conference yesterday, “I pray that it will not take us eight to nine months to do what we have to do. But I am equally conscious that we are only one of the parties at the table”.

The IMF team, led by Bert van Selm, had concluded its last visit to Barbados on June 8.

During that visit, preliminary discussions were held on the key challenges faced by the Government, including the country’s very low level of international reserves, its unsustainable debt, and the need to develop an economic plan designed to address current imbalances and create the conditions for sustained broad-based growth.

Prime Minister Mottley acknowledged that her Government faced a tall order as it embarked on the mission “ to work out how we are going to transform our Government and transform our nation.”

Charging that the country had been engaged in “political cosmetology,” she detailed the financial mess of state-owned enterprises to the audience that included veteran trade unionist and former general secretary of the Barbados Workers Union Sir Roy Trotman; General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers Roslyn Smith; President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers Union Mary Redman; members of Cabinet and Leader of the Opposition Joseph Atherley.

“We have been engaged in a form of political cosmetology . . . what we therefore have to do and what we have done is insist that we must confront the true cost of Government. You cannot go forward if we do not understand the true cost of what Government has become in this country”, Mottley said.

She disclosed that numerous state institutions were operating with half the required expenditure needed, with entities such as the Transport Board needing $80 million to run their operations instead of $22 million.

Signalling that it would not be business as usual, Mottley, who is also Finance Minister, said Government had moved to get out of the $100 million contracts for the construction of new desalination plants that were signed by the former Democratic Labour Party Government prior to the general election.

“I have signaled that all parties must come back to the table to re-negotiate in interest of this nation . . . We have managed to get other parties to walk away from the contractual obligations of Berth Six at the Port and from the construction of a $500 million shipping agreement which we cannot and could not afford.”

Mottley also conceded that Government had heavy arrears, which she said, amounted to $1.9 million. She noted that $165 million was owed in compulsory land acquisition arrangements and $480 million in tax refunds to citizens.

She gave the assurance that her Government would clear its debts.

“The Government over the next four years will clear all the arrears of third parties through negotiations, settlements and staggered payments over the four-year period.

“The people of Barbados must never have a reputation of having a Government again that has not paid its bills to them or to third party institutions,” she stated.

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The future of Barbados’ international business sector hangs in the balance, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has warned.

Addressing the Barbados Workers’ Union 77^thAnnual Delegation Conference on Saturday, she said the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Union “have announced we must remove all ring fencing, in other words get rid of anything called an international business sector by December 31 of this year – in four months.”

“We can choose to look at it as a blow or we can choose to look it as an opportunity . . . I refuse to be diminished by it,” she said.

According to reports, the two big deadlines now facing the Caribbean were the OECD and EU requirement for reporting under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) by September, and the EU threat to blacklist at least four Caribbean countries that they consider to be non-compliant with anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing requirements of the International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG) of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The CRS demands that financial institutions report on the assets of foreigners to the tax authorities of their country of origin.

The OECD and EU have also demanded that countries relate to what they call “Base Erosion and Profit Shifting” (BEPS). Commentators say the BEPS  is designed to punish jurisdictions that compete in tax and  banks will be expected to report to more than 100 countries.

At the July CARICOM (Caribbean Community)Heads of Government meeting it was decided that a high-level task force should intervene with the EU to avoid the blacklisting of some of its member states.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley will sit on the taskforce along with Antigua and Barbuda’s prime minister Gaston Browne, Dr Timothy Harris of St Kitts-Nevis, Allan Chastenet of St Lucia and the minister of finance of Jamaica Nigel Clarke.

Mottley told yesterday's BWU meeting that the international business sector had contributed to two thirds of the island’s corporate taxes over the last 20 years. She disclosed that when the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) left office in 2008, the Government earned $520 million in corporate taxation, however within the last decade it now struggled to earn $280 million.

[caption id="attachment_277143" align="alignnone" width="650"] A section of the audience at BIBA's presentation. (C. Pitt/BGIS)[/caption]

Last Thursday, she met with officials from the Barbados International Business Association’s(BIBA) Task Force, led by Chairman Ben Arrindell.

Mottley said then that Barbados had to pick up more international business. She stressed that while many opportunities were available to Barbados, “enough people had to be put in place to pursue them “in a credible and structured way”.

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Chairperson of the SAVE Foundation of Barbados Barbara Daniel-Goddard has warned that children as young as 14 years were involved in abusive relationships.

And she has made a case for schools to educate children on the dangers of domestic violence.

“The reason for [going into schools] is the teachers are aware of young girls and boys ages 14, 15 and 16 who are having conflict relationships. The boys are slapping around the girls ... they are controlling their phones, they are controlling what they are wearing, telling them what they should and should not do,” she said.

Daniel-Goddard was speaking to the media on the sidelines of Action Experience, an event to raise awareness about domestic violence held in Independence Square last evening.

[caption id="attachment_277149" align="alignnone" width="650"] Chairperson of the SAVE Foundation of Barbados Barbara Daniel-Goddard.[/caption]

While she acknowledged that domestic abuse cases were prevalent among citizens ages 19-45, Daniel-Goddard proposed that a programme should be implemented in the school curriculum or as an after school activity to help counter the trend.

Speaking at the anti-violence event themed Speak Out, Reach Out was Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Cynthia Forde.

[caption id="attachment_277148" align="alignnone" width="650"] A small crowd attended the event.[/caption]

After expressing her disappointment with the relatively poor turnout at Independence Square, Forde called on the public to protect children and to educate them on the dangers of violence.

[caption id="attachment_277146" align="alignnone" width="650"] Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Cynthia Forde.[/caption]

"Once we start with our little children in the incubator of life, I am sure that it will permeate the rest of society and help to eliminate some of the anger and the bitterness that we see coming through from our various households and institutions," said Forde.

"We need to protect our men, our women and most importantly our children, for when our children witness the violence in our households, the cursing and the fighting…it sends negative messages to our children who are like sponges and will take in what they see," she added.

The SAVE Foundation chairperson also stressed that targeting adults must be first stop in educating children.

“The challenge I feel is not so much the children . . . the challenge is actually the parents.

Our biggest challenge is being able to connect to the parents, to get the changes made so that they can pass on those changes to their children,” Daniel-Goddard said.

She further expressed concern that most women ages 20 to 45 who were in violent relationships came from homes that were challenging or were victims of rapes.

“In many ways it has set them on a path of not being able to make the best decisions,” the chairman commented.

Daniel-Goddard stressed that her foundation would like to have advocates out in the communities spreading their knowledge and offering assistance to victims.

“ We want to have education, we want to hold workshops re-educating and educating the public on domestic violence and we would like to get to the point where our course is an accredited course but we would like to get to the point where we can train persons so they will then go into their different neighbourhoods and facilitate it, she stated.

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The new Bishop at the helm of the Methodist Church in the Southern Caribbean and the Americas Reverend Derick Richard this evening signalled his intention “to disturb the present” to ensure the church has a better future.

At a well-attended induction ceremony at the James Street Methodist Church, Richards, one of church’s youngest bishops to be   appointed to the high office replaced the Reverend Dr Cuthbert Edwards.

The Vincentian-born Richard who became a pastor at the age of 19 told congregants it was time for the church to rise up and join in the healing work of God across the sub-region.

[caption id="attachment_277164" align="alignnone" width="366"] Bishop of the South Caribbean District of the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas Rev. Derick A. Richards[/caption]

Citing several challenges including, “the rising national debt of our nation states in the sub-region, the high levels of violence and abuse, the rising addiction to pornography, drugs and gambling and deterioration in the moral fabric of our society,” he  said such problems required the Methodist church to undergo a “serious theological reflection and a willingness to change as individuals, a church and as society.”

The Bishop warned that this healing work would involve taking positions that would not be popular.

“For instance, working to overcome a system that perpetuates its poverty might involve calling for a living wage that empowers people to provide for their needs without charity.

“Such a change can be threatening to people who benefit from the current wage structure in many of the islands. Yet we must ask is it fair to expect people to work full time at any job and not have enough to pay to live a dignified life?

Bishop Richard underscored that such challenges must be met by firm resolve to ensure that the church continues to be a significant voice and force in shaping the region.

The new Methodist leader who will oversee the churches in St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados also highlighted several internal changes the church would have to undergo to embark on its new mission.

He started by speaking directly to the youth, reminding them that there were not the church of tomorrow, but in reality the church of today.

“We need more of you, the church needs your energy, your transparency, your spiritual gift and graces, your professional skills, your natural talent and abilities, we need you to help us transform our world by igniting a passion.

“There is a place for you at the table, will you join us. I believe that as district we are ready not only to hear from you but also to act upon what we hear, he assured.

The Bishop also called for the Methodist church to be more “authentically Caribbean,” citing that the steel pan must not be an occasional accompaniment at worship. He also called for hymns written by Caribbean artists to be embraced with the traditional hymns.

Bishop Richard stressed these changes were critical to leaving a legacy for the next generation of Methodists and to touch every area of life in the sub-region.

“I am ready and I ask you to come along with me so that together we can fulfill the plan of God,” he said.

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Two people are assisting police with investigations into a stabbing incident at 7:45 a.m., which left one man injured.

Police said two men allegedly had an altercation with another man in the Constitution River Terminal, Nursery Drive, St Michael.

The victim received injuries about the body, to both hands and his right shoulder.

He was transported to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital by private transportation.

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